Orbital Sander vs Belt Sander: Which Electric Sander is Best? 

I’m about to purchase a sander for home improvement projects and didn’t realize what different types were for. Now I know! Thank you for the video! 😁

This was the exact video I needed. I’ve done so much sanding for years with a orbital. And I’ve been wondering for some larger projects I’ve done if the belt sander would of been the better way to start and this answered that and also for the larger projects I’ll be doing. Thank you ❤❤❤

I landed here while searching for insight on finishing sanders vs random orbital sanders. Even though this video focuses on random orbital vs belt sanders, I still got the info I needed presented clearly and concisely. I appreciate you! Liked and subscribed. 😍

Fantastic review. Straight to the point and told me exactly what I needed to know. Liked and subscribed!

Covered everything well. Like most tools experience improves performance of tools. I have a whole box of exploded belts to prove that. After seeing some very experienced woodworkers use monster belt sanders as if they were feathers and do the most delicate flattening , you can see the use of belt sanders.

Thank you random RU-vid lady. “Random” because I searched for orbital be belt and you, in the form of your video….. this one; came along and beautifully and thoroughly provided me with an educational enlightenment upon the subject. So for this. Thank you mam

Thank you, Melissa explained very well. Always lovely to see your work. Taken many tips from you. You are always so friendly with a lovely voice. Great work.

Great video. I spend a lot of time on RU-vid for my home repair problems and your video was really informative regarding something I don't have any knowledge of. I haven't purchased a sander in years but now there seems to be some good quality products available and more importantly cordless which saves a lot of trouble. Your video showed me what I needed. Thanks.

I can't believe you made this video! It's like you read my mind. I have a project coming up where I need to sand the stain off of some sliding doors in a 1975 house we are trying to fix up and was thinking why doesn't someone make a video about sanders because I have no idea what would be the best type for this job. This definitely gives me a great place to start. Thanks so much!

Thank you! Answered exactly what I was looking for :)

Thank you. So glad I watched this before attacking my garden furniture with my newly acquired belt sander! I'll stick with my orbital for this particular project 🙂

Exactly the video I was looking for so well explained ☺️

What can I say that ain't been said before? Great videos, admire your enthusiasm and grit. Thank you for sharing your skills & knowledge. Exactly what the Dr ordered. ❤

I did learn a whole lot which will help me in future projects. Thanks

Learned a ton - thank you

Very informational. Thanks Melissa.

Awesome! Exactly the info I needed. ❤️ You rock! 💪🏼

Nice video as allways enjoyed watching and thank you for sharing

Well put! Don’t buy a tool till you need it, frustration gives good insight into what you really need.

Thank you Melissa!

I purchased a used one as the piece is a bit pricey, but the machine ru-vid.comUgkxG6fbm3cHBd7CNTjk5D-dwYe9c9tCB9ZN has surpassed my expectations. We sand small parts by hand often, sized around 1"x1/2," and specifically look for a piece that's designed to be vertical. The motor has plenty of torque and great speed settings. The only inconvenience I had is that the disk measures 5" where we trim 6" stick-and-sand disks down easily by mounting it then cutting with a box cutter.

Hand held belt sanders work great on metals too. Gives a nice grain finish.

Very pretty and pretty good ideas as usual.

Nice presentation thanks 🙏

Good job.I liked the video clips in each instance. Very informative, Thanks

Great vid! Super informative. High speed low drag.🎯 I was thinking about buying a sander and this helped me.

Omg! Thanks for sharing this. Very useful:)

There are some belt sanders that come with a bracket to mount the sander upside down on your bench (with a locking switch of course) so you can sand small pieces by hand.

you answered my question about best 1st sander! Thanks for video

Solid info! Gracias!

Great vid. Thanks 👍

so helpful and informative! thank youuuuuu!!

Thank you for the explanation!

Thank you!!! I was just wondering about this yesterday 😂😂😂

Most excellent information.. Thank you.

So helpful, thank you.

Thanks for the info!

I literally was just looking at different sanders an hour ago. Wanting to build basic table for dining room and was trying to figure out if I need a different sander to smooth instead of orbital. Good info.

Nice video thanks clean clear basic information on tools and there uses I have a random orbital sender haven't used it yet it was on sell lol but I plan to :)

Thank you!

Good job Miss!

Nice Clear advice. thanks

Another good vid 👌

Thank you for this video.

Good information 👍

Good video for someone like me. Thank you for it.

ok that covered all I needed, tks. :)

Great vid

Well, if researched and lots of practice, you can use a finer grit on a belt sander and get a fairly good finish. If held and controlled properly your can use a belt sander and not get heavy dipping or gouges. Takes practice. We do it all the time in the custom cabinet and woodworking company I work for

Thanks very informative

Thanks Melissa, you explained it very well and as always your tone of voice is lovely to listen to. Of all the sanders I have, 6 in total, the random orbital sander is the most used. The rest have their place but it is always a limited use case. Keep these videos coming and love the way you keep it accessible for everyone.

The Lamp Stand is Awesome 👍

Good presentation.

Thank you

Ok I’m hooked. Time for another video.

I have some pantry closet in my kitchen I initially thought to rebuild it but i'm now thinking to send it and repaint it i'm going to harbor freight to pick up some belt sander and palm sander hopefully this will do the work

Good information

Have a look at a festool rotex, they're a orbital sander, that has a mode turning it into a belt sander, good for heavy removal as well as fine finish work

Bosch orbital gex18v-5n. I’ve owned many cordless orbital sanders. This is by far the most quiet and low vibration.

Thanks, I've actually never used a belt sander before. I will say that for stripping paint and angle grinder with a stripping disc works awesome and doesn't damage the surface under the paint

I need to sand my small deck, and water proof. Which one would you recommend I use? Thanks

Very good overview. On another note, i have outdoor benches that need stain really bad since they are weathered. Should you put wood brightner on before staining?

Yes you need both if your sanding alot

Good tutorial, well explained. Like you, I tend to overuse the ROS. I should go on and get a belt sander. Would you recommend the one you bought?

Which one works best with old plaster

Also an avid diyer, I think I see a belt sander purchase in the near future.

Is it weird i actually like spending hours sanding? Its very calming to me

Noticed that you have a RIGID belt sander. What is the avg runtime on a single charge? I head it can vary from 5-20 minutes depending on the job. I am debating whether to in invest in a cordless or corded one. Seems like cordless requires investing in a lot of batteries.

Good job, because most people start out and gouge everything and put the belt sander on the shelf and forget about it. You should practice on scrap wood first until you get it. I have 2 belt sanders. One with like 80 grit and the other with 120 grit. I use them a lot (Carefully). I think I may buy another and keep 180 grit on it. I do a lot with rough sawn wood that has gone thru the jointer and planer before any sanding. Like on Shelves I am pretty sure I can pretty much just go to a 180 grit belt, and then 180 Random orbital sanding for mere minutes and the sanding is done. Learn to use the belt sander and let its own weight do the sanding. It is like landing a plane and taking off in a plane and while sanding it is like ironing with the grain. I do much less sanding than most people because of the belt sander. Between coats I do it by hand sanding and often lightly use 0000 Steal wool.

It's a lot more expense, but the Festool Rolex 150 sander can remove material (like paint) very quickly too.

So….electric planer, then belt sander, then random orbital, then a few strokes with fine grit along the grain by hand. Plus..if you want ALL sanders, don’t forget the flap disc on an angle grinder…it removes a lot and you have to keep it moving, but it is a ‘sander’.

I spent all day yesterday trying to sand my small hardwood half bath. It was an orbital sander. Did not go well. I got a belt sander and spent a few hours on it today and I've got 80% to bare wood. Thank god. It's not getting into the corners well so I think I'll have to use the orbital sander on that. Not looking forward to it

How beatiful she is

By the fifth time I watched this video, I I started to take a glance at the sanders every now and then, before that, I just could not !!!!! Thanks for the video !!!!

5:24 - 120 grit is recommended for drywalls, as a final sanding. 120 is a fine grit. This is a “use” example. /Bklyn👑

It depends on what your sanding orbital sanders are usually for finish work on furniture or removing less aggressive material on rough lumber...belt sanders are much more powerful usually that run belts to remove surfaces on rough wood and lots of it...floors decks etc ridgid is a good brand of tools as well

What about 3x9 clamp sanders?

Ridgid makes collapsing sawhorses that wood save you from bending over on the floor. I dig Ridgid tools. Love your Vids girl.

Belt sanders are great for removing lots of material they can also remove a lot of skin if you’re careless.

Ridgid tools are the way to go! LSA or Lifetime Service Agreement makes them best deal on the market. Of course, Ridgid only honor's LSA when they've been purchased from Home Depot and registered within 90 day's of the purchase. But they will replace anything they can't repair... Including batteries!

dont need a sander but it was good info

This doesn't pertain to these tools but on your outside sanding on the yellow did you ever think about sandblasting ?

my project is sanding off the spines of many books to turn the pages digital in a rapid scanner. so i think a belt sander would win in my project, i need something to do heavy lifting type of sanding without fine details don't matter as much. also the movement of the sanding runs along the spine of the book which may lead to a cleaner sanding done where as orbital sander may cause the pages to fray and wrinkle in random directions while being sanded. also the price is another perk, belt sanders i seen are like 1/3rd the price. like 30 bucks for a belt sander isn't so bad in 2024.

Based on the video, here are the recommended uses for each type of sander: Orbital Sander: - Furniture refinishing and fine finish sanding - Sanding in tight spaces and crevices - General all-purpose sanding where you don't want visible sanding marks Belt Sander: - Aggressive material removal (e.g. stripping paint, sanding rough lumber) - Sanding large flat surfaces and sheets quickly - Initial rough sanding before using an orbital for the final finish - Sanding edges and ends of boards Palm/Finish Sander: - Getting into tight inside corners - Applying a very smooth, fine final finish Disc Sander: - Sanding large flat surfaces by moving the workpiece over a spinning sanding disc So in summary: Orbital = General purpose, fine finishing Belt = Aggressive stock removal, rough sanding Palm/Finish = Inside corners, ultra-smooth finish Disc = Flat surfaces by moving workpiece The video recommends an orbital as the most versatile all-purpose choice, with a belt sander being a good addition for tackling tough stock removal jobs.

I think im in love...

Did you take down your recent kitchen demo video?

i'm A sander too.. i mean I do DIY too Ehh luv your hair..

Ur as beautiful as ever Love ur work and love u of course

Beautiful DIY girl, That's my dream

was that solid surface? are you a fabricator?

Lucky there is a fast forward on this video sanding my brain off.

0:55 either that's a huge orbital sander or you're tiny 🤔

God you are beatifull

Thank you so very much pretty lady. I was kind'a always secretly wondering which one was better but a lot of times when I go to a hardware store hardly anybody especially the people who work at the store knows anything. I don't know how they even got the job in the first place. I really, really don't. All they know is that it is for sale and how to read what's on the sign. Heck I already know how to read so it seems to me that I drove all that way for nothing. We are the blond leading the blind. Kind'a like they are saying, "Hell I don't know about the goddamn thing Mister, I just work here." What a bunch of idiots. Especially the dope who hired them. Why? Oh well. But anyway pretty lady, once again, I thank you very, very much. Have a Blessed Day. Adios. PS: And they are not as half as pretty as you.

Belt sander is like an iron, you have to keep it moving

you're pretty

Every tool has its Place Belt is for rough and orbital is to finish! You broke 2 sanders because you buy shit tools! I have a Mirka and i use it to strip all the time! I have been for 8 years with it! Buy shit tools you get shit work! All the Home depot crap is for week end worriers! But not everyone is a Craftsman I guess!

Bloody hell aren’t you pretty

Great video, thanks! I was a landscaper for many years but am now a concentrating on more fine work. Great advice and information. Please would you accept a little advice from me - you’re obviously not very old - stay that way by bending your knees or putting your work up at a decent height (in an ideal world we’d all do this but our work doesn’t always allow this) at 3:30 I was like Nooooo!! Don’t end up like most people I know!! 👍🏼🔨 🪚

Orbital? Finishing. Belt? Tear out and evening. Machine marks? Belt sander. Rough 80grit? Orbital... Final touch? Hand sanding, finer grit, after popping with water and waiting 30/45 minutes.